Next time you’re headed to a cookie swap, instead of bringing your friends a batch of plain cookies, show up with chocolate bombs stuffed with Rolos, Grinch Crinkles, or reindeer that use pretzel sticks for antlers… These holiday cookies and treats are so pretty that we’ll take their picture before we eat them! There are a few classics mixed in there, as well. Try out a few of our favorite holiday cookies below, our very favorite is saved for last…
23. Christmas Wreath Cookies
Christmas Wreath Cookies don’t require baking! Green food coloring is added to melted marshmallow and butter and combined with cornflakes before being shaped into wreath shapes and decorated to resemble holly berries (red cinnamon candies work perfectly!). Reminiscent of a holiday twist on a classic Rice Krispie treat (think: sticky and crunchy), little tykes will love helping shape the marshmallow mixture into wreath shapes (complete with Christmas tunes blaring in the background). Allow wreaths 1 hour to set before displaying on a serving platter.
Christmas Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Melt butter in a large pot over low heat.
- Add marshmallows. Stir until melted.
- Stir in food coloring and vanilla.
- Fold in cornflakes until coated.
- Scoop onto wax paper with a greased spoon.
- Shape into rings with greased hands.
- Press on cinnamon candies.
- Let set 1 hour.
22. Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
The additional 5 minutes spent browning the butter are worth it for these incredible Brown Butter Pecan Cookies. Nutty and caramelized, brown butter perfectly complements these chewy (and slightly crunchy on the edges) cookies studded with chopped pecans. With bakery-worthy flavor reminiscent of cookies costing small fortunes at artisanal bakeries, be sure to chill Brown Butter Pecan cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to prevent cookies from losing their shape.
Brown Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Cook until golden brown and nutty, about 5 minutes.
- Pour into a bowl. Cool 15 minutes.
- Whisk in both sugars.
- Whisk in eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in pecans.
- Chill dough 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon balls onto a lined sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
21. Linzer Cookies
A classic often spotted in the display case of bakeries, Linzer Cookies are delicate shortbread-like cookies made with butter, ground almonds, almond extract and cinnamon. After cutting rounds out of chilled dough (and cutting small windows out of half the rounds in the shape of hearts or stars), a layer of raspberry jam is nestled between the two cookies and finished off with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Linzer cookies do take a little extra patience to prepare but they’re oh-so-loved once devoured.
Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Mix in almond flour, flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Split dough in half. Wrap and chill 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Roll dough 1/8 inch thick.
- Cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds.
- Cut a small star from the center of half the rounds.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool fully.
- Dust the cut-out tops with powdered sugar.
- Spread jam on the solid bottoms.
- Press tops onto bottoms.
20. Haystacks
At number 20 is possibly the easiest recipe on the list, and the one that will always disappear the fastest! All you do is melt together peanut butter and butterscotch chips, stir in chow mein noodles and spoon the mixture onto wax paper in nest shaped mounds. We love the combo of sweet and salty and all the crunch in these haystacks, so yummy! Add-in suggestion: mini marshmallows or even peanuts. Allow haystacks to set for about 30 minutes.
Haystacks
Ingredients
Method
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Microwave chips and peanut butter in 30 second bursts.
- Stir until smooth.
- Fold in noodles and marshmallows.
- Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper.
- Let set 30 minutes.
19. Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies
Perfect for the ugly sweater party, ugly Christmas sweater cookies are decorated with zigzags, polka dots, reindeer, snowflakes… you get the idea. Simply shape the sugar cookie dough into the shape of a sweater, then get creative with the icing and sprinkles. Kids (and adults that haven’t mastered cookie decorating) will love making these imperfect (is that even a word?) cookies. Hold a contest at the party and hand out prizes for ugliest cookie. Important: wait until royal icing is dry before packaging or stacking.
Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Cookies: Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Cookies: Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Cookies: Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cookies: Wrap and chill 1 hour.
- Cookies: Heat oven to 350°F.
- Cookies: Roll 1/4 inch thick. Cut sweater shapes.
- Cookies: Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool fully.
- Icing: Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water 5 minutes.
- Icing: Divide and tint with colors.
- Outline and fill sweaters with icing.
- Add sprinkles while icing is wet.
- Let dry 4 hours.
18. Italian Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow cookies are a holiday staple in Italian bakeries. Three layers of almond sponge cake colored red, white and green are filled with raspberry jam and topped with semisweet chocolate. They take a little longer to make, but are definitely worth the effort. Rainbow cookies make quite a sight in a pan (literally… they’re colorful) and yield plenty of servings to impress your friends. If you grew up in the Northeast, rainbow cookies probably take you back to Christmas Eve. Tip: Refrigerating the stacked cookies overnight will make cutting easier, trust us, you’ll get much cleaner rectangles this way!
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line three 9×13 pans with greased parchment.
- Beat almond paste until crumbled.
- Beat in butter and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in egg yolks and almond extract.
- Mix in flour and salt.
- Whip egg whites to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar, beat to stiff peaks.
- Fold whites into batter.
- Split batter into 3 bowls. Tint one red, one green, leave one plain.
- Spread each into a pan.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool fully.
- Spread half the jam on the green layer. Top with plain layer.
- Spread remaining jam. Top with red layer.
- Wrap, weigh down with a heavy pan, and chill overnight.
- Melt chocolate. Spread over top. Let set.
- Trim edges. Cut into small rectangles.
17. Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Bright with lemon in both the dough and in the glaze, these Lemon Ricotta Cookies have a soft, cakey texture thanks to ricotta that reminds me of little pillows! They’re light and tangy and just sweet enough to entice you into having (at least) another. Dress them up for the holidays by adding a few red and green sprinkles to the glaze. These lemony cookies would add a nice change of pace to a plate of holiday cookies alongside more traditional (and crisp) cookies.
16. Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Red and green swirls adorn these classic Christmas Pinwheel Cookies that are as easy as they are pretty: Just divide some basic sugar cookie dough, add in food coloring, stack and roll into a log, chill and slice into pinwheels. A little over two hours of chilling time will reward you with beautifully swirled cookies when it’s all said and done! Soft and buttery with just a hint of vanilla, the pretty colors and shapes do all the talking here. For a little extra pizzazz, roll the log in sprinkles before slicing into rounds.
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Split dough in half. Tint one red, one green.
- Roll each between parchment into a 9×12 rectangle.
- Chill 15 minutes.
- Stack green on red. Roll up tightly from the long side.
- Roll log in sprinkles.
- Wrap and chill 2 hours.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Slice 1/4 inch thick.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes.
15. Buckeyes
If you’re a peanut butter AND a chocoholic, Buckeyes are a must-make! There’s no baking here, just shape some creamy peanut butter fudge-like mixture into little balls and dip them into melted chocolate, leaving just the tops uncovered to mimic the namesake (and nut from the state tree) of Ohio. A little coconut oil mixed into the chocolate makes dipping a breeze! Make a big batch of these, I guarantee they won’t last long (and store them in the refrigerator).
Buckeyes
Ingredients
Method
- Filling: Beat peanut butter, butter, and vanilla.
- Filling: Mix in powdered sugar.
- Filling: Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on a lined sheet.
- Filling: Chill 30 minutes.
- Coating: Microwave chips and oil until smooth.
- Dip balls with a toothpick, leaving the top uncovered.
- Smooth over toothpick holes.
- Chill 15 minutes until set.
14. Reindeer Cookies
Chewy peanut butter cookies dressed up as Reindeer with pretzel twist antlers, candy eyes and a red M&M for Rudolph’s nose, what could be cuter?! Simply top hot-out-of-the oven cookies with the antlers and face pieces and allow to set. The salty crunch of pretzels complements the sweet chewy cookies perfectly. This cookie is so simple, even the little ones can help. Fill a cookie sheet with a whole team of reindeer for Santa!
Reindeer Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Beat butter, peanut butter, and both sugars.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a lined sheet.
- Bake 9 to 10 minutes.
- Press in 2 pretzels for antlers right away.
- Press in eyes and an M&M nose.
- Cool on the sheet.
13. Fudgy Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
These Fudgy Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are made with bright red dough that is rolled in powdered sugar and then baked until the sugar coating begins to crack and show off the pretty red color of the dough! They’re fudgy and soft and just slightly chocolatey, and are the perfect addition to a holiday cookie platter, especially since we have some green Grinch Cookies further down this list! Chilling the dough for 1 hour makes them easier to roll in powdered sugar.
Fudgy Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in egg, milk, vanilla, and food coloring.
- Mix in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- Chill 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Roll heavily in powdered sugar.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
12. Eggnog Cut Out Cookies
Soft cut out sugar cookies are packed full of warm eggnog flavor and then frosted with a creamy vanilla rum frosting. Get creative by cutting them out into fun holiday shapes (trees, stars, mittens…) and your grown up friends are sure to love the hint of rum in the creamy vanilla rum frosting. Let the frosting set up then arrange Eggnog Cut Out Cookies on a festive holiday cookie platter and serve!
11. Melted Snowman Cookies
Everyone’s favorite puffy cut-out cookies dressed up as a melting snow man! The snow man bodies are simply circles of cookie frosted with a blanket of white icing then decorated with a marshmallow for the head and decorating icing for the arms, eyes, and nose, plus chocolate chips for buttons. No two snow men are alike making these Melted Snowman Cookies a decorating pleasure for the kids (perfect for the classroom or a kid’s party, etc). Let icing set for 1 hour before boxing them up.
Melted Snowman Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Cookies: Heat oven to 350°F.
- Cookies: Beat butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Cookies: Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cookies: Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Flatten slightly.
- Cookies: Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool fully.
- Icing: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
- Spoon icing over each cookie, letting it puddle unevenly.
- Press a marshmallow half on top near one edge.
- Pipe black eyes and arms. Pipe an orange nose.
- Press on chocolate chip buttons.
- Let set 1 hour.
10. Christmas Crack
Okay, technically this isn’t a cookie, but we had to share this recipe! Bubbling toffee (homemade of course!) is spread over saltines, baked and then topped with melted chocolate and sprinkles. The end result is a toffee cracker creation that when broken into jagged pieces tastes salty, sweet, buttery, chocolatey and is SO crunchy! Great for gift boxes or on the cookie platter. Make double because you’re going to eat half! Refrigerate for 1 hour so the chocolate will set and is easier to break into pieces.
Christmas Crack
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with foil.
- Lay crackers in a single layer.
- Boil butter and brown sugar 3 minutes, stirring.
- Pour over crackers. Spread evenly.
- Bake 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle chips on top. Wait 3 minutes.
- Spread melted chocolate.
- Add sprinkles.
- Chill 1 hour. Break into pieces.
9. Frosted Snickerdoodle Cookies
Soft and thick with lots of cinnamon sugar and topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting, frosted snickerdoodle cookies are soft, pillowy perfection! Reminiscent of those giant cookies at Crumbl (worth the line, imho), frosted snickerdoodle cookies are absolutely decadent and perfect for your next Christmas movie night! Finish them off with a sprinkle of cinnamon to make ’em pretty and feel like a special bakery treat.
8. Hot Cocoa Cookies
Chocolate dough + chocolate chips + a toasted marshmallow = HOT COCOA COOKIES! Okay so not exactly in drink form but this cookie certainly tastes just like a mug of hot cocoa. Loaded with chocolate chips and a perfectly oven-toasted marshmallow and even drizzled in chocolate this cookie screams HOT COCOA cookies are perfect on a winter day after building a snowman or sledding and of course will be perfect sip side-by-side with hot cocoa!
Hot Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Beat butter and both sugars.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Mix in flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in 1/2 cup chips.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon balls onto a lined sheet.
- Bake 8 minutes.
- Press a marshmallow half, cut side down, on each.
- Bake 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Cool fully.
- Melt remaining 1/2 cup chips. Drizzle on top.
7. Peanut Butter Blossoms
Soft and chewy, these peanut butter cookies will remind you of your very first pb cookie ever tasted. Rolled in sugar and then baked until just barely done before being topped with a Hershey’s Kiss makes these cookies an old timey classic. By unwrapping all the Hershey Kisses first, these cookies can be quickly whipped together right from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool before piling ’em high so the kisses will firm up. So easy your little helpers can make these, too!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Beat butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and brown sugar.
- Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Roll into 1 inch balls.
- Roll in remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
- Press a Kiss into each right away.
6. Iced Gingerbread Cookies
Not your typical crunchy, hard as rocks, gingerbread man cookies, these iced gingerbread cookies are so soft and chewy with perfectly balanced holiday spices! Each cookie is topped with a dreamy vanilla bean frosting that takes these cuties over the top! The perfect project to do with the littles (cut ’em out in the shapes of trees, stars, gingerbread people), set out a cookie decorating table for everyone to add silly faces and dresses/hats/etc. These cookies will have your house smelling like Christmas Town and are sure fire winners in a homemade Christmas cookie gift boxes!
5. Grinch Cookies
Bright green in color, these crinkle cookies are rolled in powdered sugar before they hit the oven to give them that perfect crackled top. Looking like they’re dusted with snow, each cookie is pressed with a red candy heart (to symbolize how the grinch’s heart grew 3 sizes) right out of the oven. Allowing the super sticky dough to chill in the fridge makes these super cute Grinch Cookies a cinch to make. Grab a bag of those hearts and get baking! Guaranteed these cuties will steal the show in any cookie platter and are a sure hit with kiddos!
Grinch Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in egg, vanilla, and food coloring.
- Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Chill 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Roll heavily in powdered sugar.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
- Press a candy heart into each right away.
4. Snowball Cookies
We could go on and on about how much we love Snowball Cookies (A.K.A Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies). We think the name Snowball Cookies best describes them, though, because once you double-dip these crumbly, buttery little balls of finely chopped pecans heaven in powdered sugar (once when warm, and once when they’ve cooled) they truly resemble teeny tiny snowballs! These are one of those recipes that is messy fun at its best… you’ll get powdered sugar everywhere on your counter top, shirt, cat, dog, etc.
Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Mix in flour and salt.
- Fold in pecans.
- Roll into 1 inch balls.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes.
- Roll in powdered sugar while warm.
- Cool fully. Roll again.
3. Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These next cookies are almost too perfect. Brownie-like dough made even more chocolaty with additional chocolate chips and dusted in powdered sugar, these fudge-y chocolate cookies come out of the oven looking like little snowy gems! They’re not super difficult to make but the dough does need to chill in the fridge which really does give them a bit of a kick in difficulty. But they’re SO pretty once powdered sugar cracks when they come out of the oven that we thought they needed to be featured on the list.
Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk cocoa, sugar, and oil.
- Whisk in eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Cover and chill 4 hours.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Roll into 1 inch balls.
- Roll heavily in powdered sugar.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Salted Caramel Chocolate Rolo Cookies
Chocolate + salted caramel = one perfect little bite-sized cookie. These cuties might just be the easiest decorated cookies on our list, and they’re pretty darn photogenic. All you have to do to make these babies is enclose a whole Rolo in soft chocolate cookie dough, pop ’em in the oven and emerge with gooey pools of melty salted caramel Rolo heaven. Serve alongside a glass of ice cold milk, top with flake sea salt and you have a winning cookie combo!
1. Peppermint Mocha Sandwich Cookies
And now for our #1 cookie…the cookie version of one of our absolute favorite holiday drinks. The Peppermint Mocha has always been one of the best seasonal coffees out there and these cookies take it up a notch. Two perfectly soft mocha cookies sandwiched around fluffy peppermint buttercream. After they’re sandwiched they’re then dunked in chocolate and rolled in crushed up candy canes. Not only do these look great sitting pretty on a cookie tray, they’d also make a great edible gift!
Along with classics like Grinch Cookies and reindeer cookies, these are some of our favorite holiday cookies recipes to make each year! Happy Cookie Holiday Baking! Here’s to a merry Christmas and a holiday season!
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